message from the chair Executive Summary VISION Over the past 30 years, the Great Ocean Road visitor economy has experienced exponential growth of visitor numbers, driven by collaborative national, state and regional marketing of its outstanding natural attractions and experiences. However, the high-volume visitation has significantly under delivered in-region yield, and resulted in visitor congestion and poor visitor experience, especially at the 12 Apostles. Decades of failure to adequately invest in public and private infrastructure has resulted in a gaping multi-billion-dollar supply-demand gap. The 100 year pandemic impact in 2020 has devastated the region’s visitor economy and the post pandemic economic environment will be very different. Recovery will require innovation, policy reform and government intervention to address market failure and apply new approaches. A return to “business as usual” will not address the socio-economic, environmental and cultural challenges facing the region and risks continuing the decades of failure to capitalise on the opportunities. Successful Implementation of the 2015-20 Master Plan has resulted in a $1.5b investment pipeline of public and private projects to start to fill the supply-demand gap gap. The priority is to fast track the implementation of these projects and to attract and develop a second round of investments to continue the progress. The regional economy will benefit in the short term from the impacts of construction and will be better prepared to meet and manage the expected return of visitation to the pre pandemic growth forecasts beyond 2023-24. This will make the “big difference” required to recover better and stronger from the pandemic and lay the foundation for a new future. Investment in delivery of infrastructure, public and private must also drive cultural, social and environmental outcomes and these should be embedded in planning and implementation. OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES RESPONSIBLE TOURISM PRINCIPLES RESPONSIBLE TOURISM PRINCIPLES RESPONSIBLE TOURISM PRINCIPLES STRATEGIC DIRECTION STRATEGIC DIRECTION STRATEGIC DIRECTION WATCH > Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism chair Wayne Kayler-Thomson. READ MORE READ MORE READ MORE